Bacon and Leek Risotto with Poached Egg

In our “What People Are Cooking” column, see how our recipes turned out in other cooks’ kitchens. Every week we choose a dish that several food bloggers made and feature it here with photos and links. Share your own experience; submit your blog.

Eggs for breakfast. Eggs for dinner. Eggs anytime. Basically, you can throw a perfectly poached egg on top of most any dish and we’re in. But on top of a creamy bowl of risotto, studded with chunks of bacon and sweet leeks? Forget it. Game over. That’s probably why the Bacon and Leek Risotto with Poached Egg from our April issue did so well in bloggers’ kitchens.

Our version:

Bloggers’ versions:

Cheese and Chocolate: ”The idea of creamy rice with the oniony leeks mixed with some crispy bits of bacon all topped with a delicious, runny egg yolk was too much for me to handle. I had to make it ASAP. Oh, and it was gooood. It’s like breakfast and dinner and everything in between. And that egg… oh, that egg. It’s like a big, bright, happy sun in the middle of your plate making all kinds of saucy goodness. Give it a go, I think it will make you smile on a rainy day too.”

turnsout.com: “It turned out well, very very well. Oh creamy risotto goodness. With the poached egg on top, oh the deliciousness.”

Red Velvet: “The secret to risotto is constant stirring of the rice and slowly adding the liquid to create a creamy, smooth texture. Yup, that ooey runny goodness! The egg was perfect and the dish was amazing. I can’t wait to make poached eggs again. In fact, my husband and I agreed that I make poached eggs better than fried eggs, and I’ve been attempting to make good fried eggs for years. Needless to say, aside from the water boiling waiting time, this dish took about 45 minutes and I only had to chop 2 leeks and some bacon to prep. This one is a keeper.”

Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time: “It starts, as many good things do, with bacon. I didn’t do that good photo set-up thing and make sure that some of the pieces of bacon were strategically placed on top so you could see them, but trust me, there’s a lot of it there … I was afraid that the egg would just add creaminess on top of creaminess, but it doesn’t. The bacon, which is added at the very end, give a perfect amount of crispy crunch and the egg just enhances the richness and wonderfulness of the risotto. As I imagined, it’s perfect. Wonderful. Fantastic. Italian friends, please fill in a few good words in the proper language for me, ok? Make this. Seriously.”

Sex, Food, and Rock & Roll: “This dish is indeed very rich. I even cut out half the bacon for frugality’s sake (though I used a very good quality applewood-smoked bacon with a highish fat content), used 4 cups of vegetable stock and 1 cup of water (it’s what I had on hand) instead of 5 cups of chicken stock, and forgot to put in the 2 tablespoons of butter at the end. It just took me a grand total of around an hour, which is more than I like to spend on one meal, though some of you might think, “That’s labor-intensive? pshaw!” If you want a lot of flavor bang for your buck and think it is worth the time spent, this deal is for you. If you want it to be more filling, serve it with a crusty baguette and seasoned olive oil for dipping. YUM.”